Should you use parental controls on your kid's smart phone or tablet? Let's face it, more and more kids, pre-teens and teens have smart phones or tablets. Heck, all 10 of my grand kids have them (ages 4-18). There is so much one can get to via the web or with apps (like You Tube) that one might say has some content that is inappropriate. Of course, you parents get to decide. But let me share some of what you can do to help you out with your parental control decisions.
First, I am going to
assume your kids are well balanced, nice and don't do unsavory things. However,
they are likely to be curious and want to discover new and exciting things and
teach themselves how to do new things. This is all good and desirable but with
coaching by parents.
Here are some
questions I think you might be asking.
- Can I block in appropriate web sites from my child's eyes?
- Do I need to have an account created for them on the Google Play Store?
- Does my child need an email address?
I will answer these
questions and many more in this article. I share Android Apps for Parental
Controls. (I will iOS and Windows in a future article as this one is quite
long). I will link to other articles that give specifics to "the most
popular" or "best" parental controls apps as this is not really
my expertise and there are many good articles. I will, however, share what is
possible and give you some insights to parental controls.
Foundational features
of parental controls are the ability to limit the apps a child can use on their
phone or tablet. They won't be able to get to the settings or purchase apps
without your permission. There are a variety of apps that let you control specifically
which app icons they can see and which controls on the device that will work.
You can change these settings of course. Another parental control feature is
the ability to set time limits or time boundaries for device or app use.
You should also be
able to control which web sites your child can go to. Many kids need access to
school sites to perform or turn in homework so internet access is needed.
However, your child, being curious and wanting to learn and explore, shouldn't
be able to stumble upon unsavory sites. You need to ability to block categories
of web sites as well as have the ability to allow needed sites that are blocked
as a rule. How does a parental control app work to block sites on the internet?
This is done by having a different browser installed on the tablet that pas the
parental controls features built in. The original internet browser preinstalled
on the tablet is simply blocked or hidden. They simply have no choice but to
use the new browser. You will also be able to hide apps on the tablet or
smart phone. This will be done with a password that only you will know.
For smart phones, you
should have the ability to control the phone numbers that can be dialed and the
apps that can be used. Limiting who can send texts to your child's phone as
well as the numbers to text to.
Let's see those
questions again.
Do I need to have an account created for my child on their tablet or smart phone?
An account must be created but it can be yours (parent) and you keep the password. Or you can indeed create their own account with their password but this allows them to get any app they desire. If the app has a cost, a means of payment must be attached to the account. Your call.
Does my child need an
email address?
No. They can operate their tablet or smart phone without an email.
Can I block
inappropriate web sites from my children's eyes?
Yes you can. A variety
of apps will allow you to set parameters on the types of sites than can be
blocked. Pornography and inappropriate
videos are examples.
Can I set limitations
on what apps my child can download?
Via a parental control
app, they either can download their own apps or they must have you do it.
Can I set time limits
on the use of the tablet? For example only 2 hours per day?
Yes you can. Some apps
let you do this for the entire device or set limits for individual apps.
Can I be notified
somehow if my child tries to go to places or use apps that I have forbidden
them to do so?
Yes. There are some
very "feature rich" parental control apps that will send you a text
or email when your child crosses boundaries you have set forth on the device.
Look, some boundaries crossed might be honest curiosity and be a site you will
let them visit. In this case you will be able to adjust the boundaries to allow
the individual site.
Are these apps FREE or
what do they cost?
Many are FREE and some
are quite good. Some have a nominal one-time cost while the very good ones have
an annual or monthly subscription. If you have 4 kids and 4 tablets you will
need to pay 4 times. Bummer, I know. If you use the same account on all devices,
this might get by the multiple purchases and allow you to pay just once but use
the app on all four tablets.
Take a look at some of
these articles relating to specific apps from some folks who have researched
the apps closely.
10 Best AndroidParental Control Apps by John Corpuz. November 27, 2013.
How to set up parentalcontrol on Android: restrict Android app permissions by Marie Brews. July 30,
2013.
Five-Minute fix:Setting up parental controls on Android by Lee Munson. December 19,2013
Six Best ParentalControl Apps for Android by Robyn Spoto. November 14, 2013.
How to make Androidchild friendly by Neil Mohn. March 7, 2013.
Kids Get New TabletsOver the Holidays? Here's How to Lock 'Em Down by Lauren Goode. December 27,
2013
Top Parental ControlApps for Android by Steven Blum. April 25, 2012.
7 Best FREE AndroidParental Control Apps by Khaled Md. Shariar. September 14, 2013.
Here is a summary of apps
from the above articles.
Kids Place - ParentalControl 4.3 of 5 Stars. 6,019 Reviews. FREE.
Kid Mode - FREE Gamesplus Lock 4.3 of 5 Stars. 47,008 Reviews. FREE
AppNotifier - ProtectYourself 3.9 of 5 Stars. 113 Reviews. FREE.
Safe Browser 3.8 of 5
Stars. 1,310 Reviews. FREE.
Screen Time ParentalControl 3.7 of 5 Stars. 1,128 Reviews. FREE
MMGuardian ParentalControl 3.6 of 5 Stars. 511 Reviews. FREE
Funamo ParentalControl 3.4 of 5 Stars. 460 Reviews. FREE
Mamabear Family Safety
3.4 of 5 Stars. 284 Reviews. FREE app but $3.99 per month.
MobileMinder 3.2 of 5
Stars. 118 Reviews. FREE.
Norton Family ParentalControl 3.0 of 5 Stars. 2,191 Reviews.
FREE
***********************************
See this and other Tablet Grandpa blog posts at www.tabletgrandpa.com
Follow my
Blog and other items on Twitter: @TabletGrandpaSee what I'm doing on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tabletgrandpa
Great Read! Internet has evolved a lot last couple of decades, its important that your kids consume ethical and proper content. There new Parental Control Software available in market which is Designed to keep your Kids Safe online.
ReplyDeleteEvery parent should read this article. You are very careful.
ReplyDeleteAndroid Tonic